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One could say that even in the most abysmal of circumstances last year, Davis still almost hit hat total last season, clubbing 26 Bolts in 127 Games Played. Look for him to crush between 35 – 42 HRs this season. The big 1B is among several key figures that are in contract years after the season concludes, including more than half of the Bullpen’s becoming Free Agents following this campaign as well.

The Orioles have had a quiet off season, but where that not amount too much in terms of adding talent to their 2014 Roster, a lot of it has to do with some of their players maturing in salary via Arbitration.

I am sure there is a degree of urgency for the O’s brass, since they have a plethora of pending Free Agents after this year.

The franchise is slated to dole out about $120 MIL in team money this campaign. While that places them in the top half of the MLB, they only register 4th in the AL East.

With Chris Davis, Matt Wieters and Wie-Yin Chen all hitting the open market after this season, maybe the club should take a run at acquiring some guys for their World Series plight half way through this year.

Even with some key players being out of the lineup for long periods of time (due to injuries/suspensions), the Baltimore Orioles still found a way to win 96 games during the 2014 regular season, and advanced to the ALCS after sweeping the Detroit Tigers in the ALDS.

Unfortunately, the Orioles’ World Series hopes were crushed by the Kansas City Royals in the Final Four, as the O’s struggled mightily against this year’s “Cinderella story.”

It turned out to be an ugly end for a great season, but the Orioles now need to look forward to the off-season.

With some key players heading towards free agency and arbitration, the Orioles need to make some moves in order to put themselves in contention to compete once again come 2015.

Nelson Cruz refuses to relinquish his lead in the AL HR race. The big man clubbed 2 HRs yesterday for his 3rd Multi HR effort of the campaign. This has now given him a 3 Home Run lead over Chris Carter. Of course he is trailing the big Astro for 2 HR games this year by 4 contests. Cruz plated all 7 runs with his offense yesterday, crossing the 100 RBI plateau on the season. All of his offense should bode well in he is a Free Agent again this winter.. REINHOLD MATAY/AP

Multi HR Games in MLB 2014

Follow The MLB Reports On TwitterFollow @mlbreportsFor Games Played Through Sept 8th, 2014 (Tyler Flowers with last 2 HR games – Sept 7th, 2014, Lonnie Chisenhall last with 3 HR Game – June 9th, 2014 Last 4 HR game – Josh Hamilton – May 8, 2012)

Since a near demotion a few weeks ago, Harper has really heated up including 7 HRs in August. He hit 3 HRs over the weekend in his 1st visit to Safeco Field in Seattle. Among those was Harper’s 1st Multi HR Game since Apr.20, 2013. The 21 Year Old Slugger now has 10 HRs on the year. His teammate Wilson Ramos also added his 1st Multi HR effort on Friday night, as the club bashed 6 HRs (park record) over fence, with 4 of them coming off Felix Hernandez. The Nats tallied 10 HRs total in the 3 game set – while taking 2 out of three contests.

Lucas Duda is providing the Mets with everything they wished he would. With 26 HRs on the year, he is tied for 3rd in the NL, and he has also driven 76 RBI amidst a .249/.355/.476, The Mets 1b has also had 2 Multi HR Games (including this weeK) – and has had different HR Streaks.

Multi HR Games in MLB 2014

For Games Played Through Aug 28th, 2014 (Jacoby Ellsbury/Buster Posey with last 2 HR games – Aug 26th, 2014, Lonnie Chisenhall last with 3 HR Game – June 9th, 2014 Last 4 HR game – Josh Hamilton – May 8, 2012)

Erik Kratz came into a game for the injured Salvador Perez this week, and proceeded to smack homers in consecutive AB. The 34 Year Old Catcher has now clubbed 23 HRs in 474 Lifetime AB. Perhaps always overlooked, this back up Backstopper should help out KC down the stretch – whenever they want to rest their ALL – Star Catcher. He is surely a better option than Brett Hayes was.

Edwin Encarnacion has been out of the Jays Lineup for almost a month. Even with that fact, he is still tied for the Major League lead in Multi HR contests for 2014, with 6. Chris Carter of the Astros just tied him this week, although he has played way more games. EE has 6 multi HR games in about a 7 week span from May 8 to July. Encarnacion is also still just 5 HRs off of the Major League Lead for Bolts heading into action on Sunday Aug.17, 2014. Toronto went 16 – 17 in his absence.

Multi HR Games in MLB 2014

For Games Played Through Aug 18, 2014 (Erik Kraatz and Starling Marte with last 2 HR games- Aug 18th, 2014, Lonnie Chisenhall last with 3 HR Game – June 9th, 2014 Last 4 HR game – Josh Hamilton – May 8, 2012)

Javier Baez clubbed a tater in his MLB debut, took a game off, then knocked off his 1st Multi HR effort in his 3rd game. The Cubs 21 Year Old 2B from Puerto Rico, was the 9th overall selection by Chicago in the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft. This kid has scary power, and I thus think he will be adding him name to many future multiple HR games in his lifetime. Even in going Homerless in the last 2 games, Baez still has smacked 3 Roundtrippers in his 1st 23 AB. While he may not reach Kevin Mass like status (10 HRs hit in his 1st 72 AB for the MLB record of ‘quickest 10″ he is off to a fast start.)

Paul Konerko announced that the 2014 season will be his last. He has 439 career HR, 1409 RBI, and 6 All Star appearances in his 18 year career. What will most likely not be a HOF career, will certainly go down as one of the best in White Sox history. Konerko was the direct replacement for Frank Thomas. Konerko is only 16 HRs behind the 2014 “Hall Of Fame Inductee” for the White Sox franchise record. While he will not reach that mark, his role may increase now with some DH AB If Dunn is traded later this week. Konerko, now 38, was a 1998 trade acquisition – with OF Mike Cameron going back the other way to Cincinnati. While Cameron was a nice Major Leaguer in his time. Konerko should have his number retired by the club, and is the current active leader for HRs hit for just one team. He will soon hand the reigns of the team over to Jose Abreu and CO.

It was a slow start to the year for Adrian Gonzalez, but now he has hit a HR in 3 straight games, and is hitting for a 3 slash of .267/.333/.623 – with 4 HRs and 11 RBI through his 1st 45 AB. His play this week is a big reason the Dodgers are back in 1st place heading into action today.

Here at the MLB Reports we look to do things different. It is one of our many motto’s.

We simply can’t look over every stat, or even chart every HR for that matter, but I have decided that we will carry the top 5 HR hitters for each the AL and NL on a page we have dubbed Stats.

For the HR feature. we will also list multiple HR games for players… Or if they have HRs in multiple games. Once a week we will post these on the home page for the site as a regular page post.Read the rest of this entry →

Josh Hamilton had his worst year as a Major Leaguer in 2013 with a 3 slash of .250/.307/.432 – with 21 HRs and 79 RBI last year. This campaign looked to have been better, with the OF hitting .444/.545/.741 through 27 AB. Injuries just seem to happen for the man. He underwent thumb surgery two days ago after jamming his hand trying to slide into 1st base. His loss will be felt big by Los Angeles, and they may not be in position to contend by the time he comes back. The Angels are at home for 6 games before a killer 9 game road trip at Detroit, Washington and New York.

Mark Trumbo has homered in 4 straight games, which is halfway to the ALL – Time Record held by Don Mattingly, Ken Griffey JR and Dale Long. Mattingly owns the aggregate total of 10 HRs hit for those 8 games. Despite his efforts, the D’Backs enter today’s game at 2 – 7. Trumbo also leads the MLB with 5 HRs overall. The slugger has 2 more years left of Arbitration Eligibility after the 2014, and will become a Free Agent in 2017. He was acquired in a trade from the LA Angels that saw the D’Backs part with Starter Tyler Skaggs. Arizona also sent OF Adam Eaton to the White Sox, and received Minor Leagues A.J. Shugel and Brandon Jacobs in the deal. Chicago parted with Hector Santiago as well to LA.

Here at the MLB Reports we look to do things different. It is one of our many motto’s.

We simply can’t look over every stat, or even chart every HR for that matter, but I have decided that we will carry the top 5 HR hitters for each the AL and NL on a page we have dubbed Stats.

For the HR feature. we will also list multiple HR games for players… Or if they have HRs in multiple games. Once a week we will post these on the home page for the site as a regular page post.

In this page, we are also going to feature in Subpages: A Shutout Survivor for all 30 MLB Teams, meaning we will state the date a teams gets Shutout for the 1st time of the year.Read the rest of this entry →

Rick Hahn started off this winter by making his first major move as White Sox GM. when he signed 26 year old Cuban defector Jose Abreu to a 6 year $68 million contract. While most are surprised that the White Sox were able to sign Abreu, most are also happy with the signing. So fans are hoping that, along with Avisail Garcia (22) (who we traded away for by way of giving up just a year plus from Jake Peavy), CF Adam Eaton (25) (who the club sent away a #5 Starting Pitcher for) – and now picking up the #77,- 2013 MLB prospect – and future 3B in Davidson (for an average replace Closer) – that you can see they may have four of the Sox cornerstones for years to come – without yielding too much in return.

This season was Flowers first chance at being the every day catcher, and he has also disappointed.Flowers was part of the Javier Vasquez trade to the Atlanta Braves a few years ago, and at the time, was a highly touted prospect. But, he has fought through mediocrity ever since his acquisition. Flowers has since hurt his shoulder, and will miss the rest of the 2013 season.While the young backstopper continued to struggle this season, the Sox called up catching prospect Josh Phegley from Triple A Charlotte in July. Flowers is Arbitration Eligible in 2015 – and under team control until 2018.

The White Sox have been one of the better clubs in the AL over the last decade, however the 2013 season will see them with their worst record in some time. The franchise is loaded with controllable Starting Pitching, and have started the rebuild for the position players. With playing in the AL central, with only the Tigers having a salary north of $100 MIL, the White Sox have shown they are willing to spend the cash to compete. It probably wont be long before the Southsiders find themselves back near the top of the Division.

You guys are all in for a treat. Jeff Kleiner recently contacted me about a partnership merge for the website. He has developed a site (prosportsrosters.com) that covers all organizational affiliates in the Minors for all of the Major League Baseball Clubs.

We are going to combine efforts to bring you the best look at salaries, current 25 Man Player Rosters and Depth Charts for all 30 teams.

Jeff is going to provide the documents in form of spreadsheets and I am going to accompany the posts with deep analysis of what the numbers tell us from my perspective.

In Speaking with Jeff, he is one of the more passionate fans I have come across towards the game of baseball. He spends enough time in updating his MLB Facts for it to be a Full-Time Job.

So after the usual Video Clip and READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY button, you will find some serious &*!@?!#!

Jeff updates this page below on a daily basis. After you click on it….Bookmark it. There is a 3 year salary forecast and stats not listed here on this page. Jeff updates these pages daily and these changes include any Roster moves!

For a Full 3 year Salary Outlook plus last years Stats for every player in the White Sox Organization click here.

The Giants have gone 9 – 23 in their last 32 Games – and are in danger of having a brutal campaign just one year after capturing the World Series. Key injuries and overlogged pitchers have been the main point of contention. They lost 8 Ranking Spots this past time. Should they also become sellers at the Trade Deadline, Tim Lincecum and Hunter Pence could fetch a few players in return. The Giants are currently 40 – 50 and 6.5 Games behind the NL West Leading DBACKS – but are in last in the NL West.

The time has come for the July Power Rankings with Stats Edition. There will be one each for May, June, July, August, September – and then a special playoff edition Power Rankings will be done in October.

I will not do a weekly Power Rankings during these weeks, because in essence, these are the weekly rankings done on a much larger scale.

These Reports are done with a heavy thought to how the teams project by the end of the season – along with how the clubs have fared so far.

I will point out who has had great months for the all 30 MLB Teams. I reward the good performances in these rankings – and leave the poor ones for the Podcasts or future articles. CLICK THE READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON or scroll past the video and picture.

The bad 2007 season was preceded by the 2006 season, during which the Sox won 90 games, but fell short in the AL Central behind the Twins and Tigers. 2006 was, of course, preceded by the World Series Championship 2005 season (man, a White Sox fan loves saying that. 2005). Following the aforementioned 2007 season, in 2008, the Sox won the AL Central title, but lost to the eventual AL Champ, Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS. But, the Sox haven’t had any REALLY BAD teams in recent memory. 2007 was, by all accounts, not good. But, to me, a 100 loss team is a REALLY BAD team.

As I sit next to my daughters on the couch watching SpongeBob, my oldest (Abby, 9), turns to me and says, “Daddy, why aren’t you watching the White Sox?”. To which I respond, “They’re off today, they don’t have a game. They stink anyway….”

She looks at me in disgust and screams, “Daddy!! Don’t say that!!” She’s never heard me say that before. Granted, in 2007, the Sox were pretty awful, going 72-90.

But, she was 3 at the time, and didn’t really care about baseball. (Though I like to pretend she enjoys baseball now. I’m really trying to make that a reality….)

Maybe it’s Paul Konerko’s fault? He’s hitting .239, and has looked lost at the plate for much of the season. 2013 could be Konerko’s last season with the Sox as his contract is up at the end of this year. Adam Dunn’s fault perhaps? He’s hitting .182, but does have 18 HR’s and 40 RBI’s. Looks to be a typical Dunn season. Lots of HR’s, and lots of K’s.Whatever the reason is, or whoever’s fault it is, the White Sox offense has been abysmal so far in the 2013 season. Statistically one of the worst offenses in MLB, the White Sox offense is difficult to watch. But, the offense certainly hasn’t been the only problem. What was a strong defensive team in 2012, has turned into a bad defensive team in 2013.

It must be AJ Pierzynski’s fault. After all, his absence from the White Sox lineup is the only major change from the 2012 team’s lineup. His replacement, Tyler Flowers, hasn’t exactly been lighting the lamp in 2013. Flowers was also billed to be an upgrade defensively behind the plate, which hasn’t been the case either.

Or, wait, is it Kevin Youkilis‘ fault? His replacement, Jeff Keppinger, has been the opposite of what he was advertised to be when the Sox signed him during the offseason. Keppinger’s hitting .229 with an OBP of .234. He was also billed as “a guy who never strikes out”, and should be the perfect number 2 hitter behind Alejandro De Aza. He’s struck out 21 times in 205 AB’s, and he’s walked TWICE.

Alex Gordon has been ramping up his power over the last 2 seasons – with 72 XBH in 2011 and 70 XBH in 2012. Noted for being more of a Doubles hitter, Gordon has clubbed HRs in 2 straight games. The 29 Year Old has a 3 Slash Line of .311/.336/.836 with 5 HRs and 23 RBI out of the Leadoff Spot so far this year. The Man has also crossed home plate 22 times in just 30 Games Payed

DH on our home site pages – Stands for Daily HR Hitters in the Majors.

We are going to run the gauntlet on the previous days HRs for all MLB Players.

I loved it when MLB XM Radio used to do a running total every night on their Roundtrip with Mike Ferrin (Laser Show). So I am bringing it every day on this website. To view every nights big boppers for the whole year (from May 8th) visit the DH page!

Click beyond the Youtube link or click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON to see who hit yesterdays big flies.

Chris Carter hit a HR for the 2nd straight game for the Astros last night – and has hit 24 HRs in his last 336 AB dating back to last year in June (1 per every 14 AB).

With 27 HRs and 65 RBI (in just 450 Career AB – but a 3 Slash of .213/.303/.734) – he reminds me of a young Cecil Fielder with the Blue Jays .243/.308/.781 – with 31 HRs and 84 RBI in his first 506 AB – before being caught up in a numbers game in Toronto with Fred McGriff.

Last Year the former A hit 16 HRs and drove in 39 RBI in just 218 AB during the Oakland A’s big second half. CC was Walking more last year – and held a .350 OBP for the year. The Astros must be patient with this slugger to learn how to hit – despite his AL leading 51 SO. He should be one of the players they keep when the rebuild is finished.

Matt Harvey with his stellar outings so far this season – may have just become the New York Mets “ace”. Harvey is now 4-0 with a 1.66 ERA. Harvey has pitched 40.1 innings – only given up 21 hits, 12 Walks for a League Leading WHIP of .0818. For his awesome 5 weeks – we name him the MLB Reports NL Pitcher Of The Month

The time has come for the 1sy May Power Rankings. There will be one each for May, June, July, August, September – and then a special playoff edition Power Rankings will be done in October.

I will not do a weekly Power Rankings during this weeks, because in essence, these are the weekly rankings done on a much larger scale.

These Reports are done with a heavy thought to how the teams project by the end of the season – along with how the clubs have fared so far.

I will point out who has had great months for the all 30 MLB Teams. I reward the good performances in these rankings – and leave the poor ones for the Podcasts or future articles. CLICK THE READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON

Former GM ‘Maverick Kenny Williams has rolled the dice on some big contracts with Rios, Dunn and Peavy.. There have been some moments of prosperity and failure for each, however the results have been ok overall. The team should be competitive with both payroll – and on the field in 2013

Considering the collapse of the 2012 White Sox, the team losing A.J. Pierzynski and Kevin Youkilis to Free Agency, one might not expect the 2013 White Sox to fare any better. But, looking on the bright side, they should have a solid starting staff, with Chris Sale having another year of experience under his belt, and, hopefully, the return of a healthy John Danks. That’s a pretty good 1-2 punch. Next is Jake Peavy. Not a bad 1-2-3 punch, if you ask me. Follow those 3 with Gavin Floyd and/or Hector Santiago/Jose Quintana, not too shabby. An “expert” may look on the not so bright side, and see a “whole lotta outs in the lineup”.

Between Gordon Beckham, Alexei Ramirez (both struggled in 2012) and the newly anointed starting Catcher, Tyler Flowers, that’s a combined average of .237 (which equals a whole lotta outs). While some say Beckham’s and Ramirez’s defensive prowess make up for their offensive deficiencies, many White Sox fans disagree. But, if Alex Rios and Adam Dunn can carry over their production from 2012 into 2013, the Sox could be in the running for the division title again. The addition of Jeff Keppinger at third base, while not a high-profile move that White Sox fans had grown accustomed to with former GM Kenny Williams, he is solid at the plate and in the field. Let’s take a look at the Sox payroll for the 2013 season….

If I had to describe the 2012 White Sox in one word, I would describe them as underperforming. Although they improved on their 2011 season, the White Sox still performed below expectations in the 2nd Half and it cost them a trip to the playoffs. In a division with the Detroit Tigers, who signed Prince Fielder last winter, the White Sox were not favored. They finished with an 85-77 record, which was not bad—I just expected better. After all, the Tigers ended up in the World Series.

I’ll start with Adam Dunn. Dunn had one of the worst seasons in baseball history in 2011, the year that he signed a Four Year deal worth $56 Million. He hit .159 with only 11 HRs and 42 RBI. He was poised for a great comeback in 2012. I guess you could call hitting .204 with 41 HRs and 96 RBI a comeback, but it still was not the normal Adam Dunn. The HRs and RBI were there, but the .204 average was well below what he hit in previous years. If Dunn were to have hit for a higher average, one might be able to say that the White Sox would have made the playoffs. Read the rest of this entry →

It’s that time of the year where you are hopefully competing or preparing for the playoffs/stretch run of the fantasy season. That’s why you need to be ahead of the competition and go the extra distance to secure a title because It’s the little moves that will ultimately make a difference. Understanding that the trading season is past, I have identified players likely available on your waiver wire that can help your team, as well as other advice based on player match-ups:

Ervin Santana, with a 5.21 ERA and 8-11 win/loss record has largely been a disappointment for fantasy owners in 2012. However, he has been much more of a reliable pitcher down the stretch. He is most recently coming off a 6.2 IP, 2 ER, 10K, performance against the tough hitting Detroit Tigers. Next up for Santana, who is owned in just 38.5% of ESPN leagues, is the softer hitting Oakland Athletics on Tuesday. Santana produced a 3.58 ERA in August and has allowed just 4 ER in 13.2 September innings to go with a 15:3 K/B ratio. We know he is shaky, but he appears to be a safe start, especially as he has held the Athletics to just 4 ER in 14.2 IP in 2012. Furthermore, Santana is much stronger pitching at home, evidenced by his .210 BAA, compared to .268 on the road. Santana’s following start is slated to be at Kansas City, which could be another decent option depending on Tuesday’s outing. Read the rest of this entry →

Chuck Booth’s 218 MLB Game 30 Parks Road Trip In 2015

2015 Full Year Road Trip Stats

Trip Stats: Miles Driven (0) Miles Air (0) Total Miles (0) In Altuves () $ Spent So Far ($12202) Hot Dogs Eaten (0) Energy Drinks Consumed (0) Subs Eaten (0) Chilli's (0) # Of Days On the Road (0) Games Seen (0) Games Left (218) Days remaining (183).

Sully posts a 20 Minute Podcast daily that is the most entertaining time you will spend online! He will do a brand new show 365 days a year, unless it is a leap year, then he will do another 1! Latest Show Right Underneath In The Next Widget Down - Thursday Oct.30, 2014) - 738th Consecutive Day With An Episode!

Madbum dominated. Affeldt was terrific. Gordon nearly tied it + Chevy Guy may have been staged

Chuck Booth’s 30 MLB Parks Trip World Record Page

In 2012, Chuck Booth attended a complete game in all 30 MLB Parks in just 23 calendar days, click the image of he and Larry Lucchino to read all about it.

The MLB BallPark Pass-Port Is A Must Purchase For Those Planning To See All 30

The Ballpark Passport is quickly becoming the favorite item among Ballpark Chasers, to chronicle their life goal to see all 30 Major League Parks. You are able to receive the stamps kit for a small additional price. At around $75 all combined, it will contain one of the biggest memento's ever for a Ballpark Chaser's best bucket list wish ever#Greatgiftidea

The Sully Baseball ‘In Memoriam” Video To MLB Players Who Have Recently Passed

The Last No – Hitter For Each MLB Franchise

The Last No - Hitter For Each Franchise - Updated every time there is a new no - hitter - click picture

The Royals have released infielder Rafael Furcal, Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star reports on Twitter. Furcal was only recently brought into camp on a minor league deal and had been working through a hamstring injury. The 37-year-old saw only minimal action last year with Miami and has generally been unable to stay healthy since going down with a UCL […]

The Brewers have re-signed righty Chris Perez to a minor league deal, the club announced. Milwaukee had released Perez on Sunday. Perez, a former closer with the Indians, seemingly took some time to look around for a big league opportunity before deciding to return. At least one team, the Twins, was approached but declined the chance to add him, Darren Wolfs […]

The Dodgers have released righty Dustin McGowan, Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times tweets. Additionally, the Dodgers will pay Mike Adams a $100K roster bonus by starting him off in Triple-A, as MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick reports on Twitter. McGowan had been in camp on a big league deal that guaranteed him a league minimum salary and came with a $1MM Openin […]

The Mariners have made a host of moves involving veteran non-roster invitees, per a team announcement. Seattle has released outfielders Endy Chavez and Franklin Gutierrez along with lefty Joe Saunders, with the latter two players re-signing on new minor league deals. Chavez, 37, exercised an opt-out clause in his deal to reach the open market. He has spent t […]

The Dodgers have acquired infielder Elliot Johnson from the Rangers, Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. Texas will receive cash considerations in the deal. Johnson, 31, provides a shortstop-capable utility option to plug into the Los Angeles depth chart, though it is hard to imagine he will crack the active roster to start the season wi […]